After a training trip to Switzerland for eight days, Athletic Club are back in Bilbao and preparing for next week’s Europa League clash with Dinamo Bucuresti. Manager Cuco Ziganda has already begun to make decisions on how to trim down the squad and Javi Eraso’s name has been linked with a move away for some time now. It has been rumored that the midfielder would return to Leganes and now reports seem to be confirming that is what will happen.

Javi Eraso will leave Athletic Club and return to Leganes (Marca)

According to a report from Javier Martin of AS, Athletic Club has agreed to let Javi Eraso leave for free to sign with Leganes. It is believed that the 27-year-old will sign a three year contract with his former club and Athletic will retain a return clause until 30 June of 2018. Martin says that the deal could be announced Thursday night or some time on Friday if all the details are finalized. Eraso was left out of Athletic’s squad for Friday’s trip to take on Club Brugge.

Sources have said that Cuco Ziganda sat down and had a conversation with Eraso on Wednesday to inform him that he was not part of the plans at Athletic Club. The midfielder was rarely in the squad at the end of last season and barely featured in the three friendlies so far this summer. With so much competition in the team it became increasingly clear that Eraso just did not have a place in the team moving forward. Still, Athletic will have the ability to bring him back after this season if he proves deserving.

Eraso grew up at Athletic’s Lezama academy before joining Bilbao Athletic in 2009. After not being able to carve out a path to the first team, he left to join Leganes in 2013 where he really impressed and helped the club grow. He returned to Athletic in 2015 and played a big role in the club’s Spanish Super Cup win over Barcelona. Despite slowly losing his place in the team, the 27-year-old will always be remembered as a part of that historic title-winning team of 2015.